Animaniacs

                Growing up Animaniacs was one of my absolutely favorite cartoons. Originally broadcast on the WB network in the 90’s, Animaniacs was created by Steven Spielberg who used his Hollywood connections to get the rights to celebrity and copyrighted media in the cartoon. The plot centers around Yakko and Wakko, the Warner Brothers and the Warner sister, Dot. Three manic Cat-Dog-Things? That create havoc around the Warner Bros. film studios. Accompanying this cartoon, are several different cartoons jam-packed into the show. Some examples include:

Buttons and Mindy – A parody of Lassie, Buttons the dog chases after Mindy, his masters’ little girl, who always wanders into trouble. Buttons goes to great lengths to save her only to be reprimanded once he gets home.

 

 

 

 

 

Goodfeathers –  A parody of the Goodfellas, Bobby, Pesto, and Squit are three pidgeons that get into all kinds of trouble, only to taught a tough lesson from the Godpidgeon.

Pinky and the Brain – Two lab mice, one a genius and the other insane, that secretly try to come up with ways to take over the world.

Slappy the Squirrel – A retired slapstick cartoon star teaches her nephew what real comedy is.

 

 

 

 

Animaniacs also contained several jokes and innuendos that, while watching again as an adult, can be understood with an older mind.

Dastardly, Nefarious Villains part 5

                For anyone who is a fan of the Legend of Zelda series you should be very well versed in our next villain, Ganondorf. Ganondorf is the Prince of thieves, Wizard-king of the desert Gerudo tribe, and wielder of the Triforce of Power. Sometimes known as Ganon, he represents the recurring type of villain. Throughout every generation, every era Ganondorf reincarnates and resumes his conquests of Hyrule. This kind of villain establishes a special kind of rapport with the audience, one that creates a level of expectation from them.

                Ganondorf is locked in an eternal struggle of good and evil with Link, the Legendary Hero, and Zelda, the princess of fate; bound in a curse intertwining their destinies for all of time. Each one possesses a piece of the legendary Triforce, and Ganondorf must recover the other two pieces from the others.  As is often the problem with recurring villains, many of the tactics and conflicts are clichéd and reused again and again. Ganondorf’s plot is very predictable as a major theme in the Zelda series is recurring people, places, and objects. People tend to gravitate to the norm and the same, resulting in an innate attraction to the familiar.

 

"…Though this is not the end. My hate... never perishes. It is born anew in a cycle with no end!" — Demise (Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)

Dastardly, Nefarious Villains part 4

This time on DNV were going to take a look at the #1 Villain of all time. Scourge of the galactic rebellion and destroyer of the Jedi Order, Darth Vader is one of the most imposing villains to ever be conceived. Tall, bulky, and draped in black, Darth Vader first started scaring fans when he marched on the screen in 1974. Darth Vader represents not one but two of the major types of villains. The once promising Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader fell to the dark side after he became distraught with fear over losing his loved ones. Anakin’s story follows one of the most tragic types of villains: The Fall of a Hero. 

 

 A once righteous hero will fall to the ways of evil either by seduction or conspiracy. Nothing makes a more relatable villain than one that was once a hero that the audience looked up to. It allows people to have a yearning that they can be saved, and shows them just how far things in their own life can skew resulting something so dark and sinister.  The second type is Intimidation. Darth Vader has an iconic look and is easily recognized worldwide. His sinister outfit was originally designed to be reminiscent of a Nazi gas mask.  Darth Vader has stricken fear and dread in people far and wide, easily deserving of the world’s most fearsome Villain

“A young Jedi named Darth Vader…He betrayed and murdered your father. Now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars (1974)

Dastardly, Nefarious Villains part 3

                      In this installment of my series or looking at popular villains, we will analyze the Joker. The Joker is the “Unpredictable” Arch-Nemesis of DC comics Batman. Hailing from a different origin depending on the writer, the Joker terrorizes Gotham City with his unique blend of Murderous party tricks and Psychotic Comedy routines. The Joker is unpredictable as a villain but, not in the obvious way. The “Unpredictable” I am referring to is the best way to describe his motivation. The Joker can range anywhere from, creating an elaborate, over-complicated plot to destroy the city; to ambushing Batman’s sidekicks in an alley and brutalizing them with a baseball bat. Joker’s unpredictability has even had him team up the Batman because it would be a “Gas.” Joker will even go so far as attacking partnered villains and henchmen if he feels that they might kill the Batman before he can. As you watch or read Batman you literally cannot expect when the joker will show up or, even what he will do.

Why does this make him popular though? Is it the sheer iconic force of the Batman series? Does the Joker represent that chaotic urge we all have bubbling deep in the pit of our gut? Maybe, the audience just wants to see some sinister humor and killer jokes? Please tell me what you think in the comments, and keep a lookout for my next installment on the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader.

“Sometimes I just kill myself!” - Joker

A Capella, the Music of Champions

                A Capella is one of my favorite musical art forms, it takes the sounds of instruments and replaces them with sounds produced from one’s mouth.  Smooth McGroove is a youtube musician that replicates some of the greatest scores from video game history. McGroove uses a method of recording one single track at a time and then compiling them together with a video editing software. Smooth McGroove takes meticulous rehearsals and actually performs the entire range of instruments and sounds by himself.  Here is an example video for your entertainment:

 

  Now wasn’t that exciting? You can see firsthand how hard this form of a capella can be. I have nothing but respect for people who make a capella. It takes meticulously hard work and dedication to create songs of this caliber. It makes me inspired, and someday I would like to try one myself.

Quiz Question Blog

Geri's Game strikes a powerful chord within me because as a child I remember seeing this film and not getting the joke until the end. It was such a surprise that I remembered it to this day.  The illusion that there are two men is near perfect. Aside from the fact that they look exactly alike (disregarding the fact that they might be twins) Both behave in such distinct manners that you believe they must be different, and the pace of the chess game keeps you busy so you don't have time to make speculations. 

Geri's game is a powerful yet simple film that conveys its message and dialogue with out words, but with gestures, sound effects, facial expressions, and hammy over-the-top acting presented in a comical and light-hearted style.  This movie blazes a trail in CGI by being arguably the first success at portraying a believable and friendly human in a field that only had dagger tosses preceding it. it used highly-stylized and exaggerated features to give it a childish feel yet maintaining believability. All in all, Geri's Game is a fantastic short film that progressed its kind by leaps and bounds.

HAPPY HARRY CARTOONS

As many people of my generation, I grew up watching indie animators on Newgrounds.com. While several of them have been truly amazing over the years, one in particular has a special air about him. I am speaking of "Happy" Harry Partridge. This British animator has often taken many things and not only parodied them, but was able to do so in a musical fashion.

 

 

 

Happy Harry possesses an artistic style and musical prowess that appeals to something out of Saturday morning cartoons. To get a sample of this watch the following video:

 



 

 

 

 

Pretty Catchy right? I mean the man can animate, sing, compose, and write all on his own.  His Sense of parody knows no bounds either.  If anyone has ever seen The Watchmen, they know that it is a gritty, hard-edged, drama about masked vigilantes; full of sex, violence, blood, and corrupt morals. However Happy Harry can turn something so tough into a simple children's Saturday morning cartoon. Have a watch:

 

 

 

Now I will admit, that one must have some knowledge of the Watchmen to understand many of the references, BUT, even if you have never heard of them, doesn't that look like a great show to watch? Happy Harry is one of the greatest animators of our generation, simply because he can do it all, has creative genius and a talent for making original content from old material.

Dastardly, Nefarious, Villains part 2 ****SPOILERS****

So, in my research for creating a likeable, and memorable villain, i've brought some examples of some of the most popular and iconic villains in media today. Before that however, I want to distinguish, at least how i define them, between a Villain and an Antagonist. An antagonist can be anyone, good, bad, or neutral that opposes the goals or ideals of the Protagonist of the story. Robin could be an antagonist to Batman, if  they were dead set on opposite goals. A villain is someone who is inherently evil, malicious, or beguiling in a manner contradictory to the morals and beliefs of society. Often times, people will confuse an antagonist for a villain. I seek to create true bad guys that the audience remembers, favors, and loves to hate.

As a part of this series of posts i will highlight a villain that exemplify what i would like to learn to create.



Name: WALTER WHITE a.k.a HEISENBERG

Media: BREAKING BAD (5 Seasons)

Actor : BRYAN CRANSTON

Role : CHEMIST/ DRUGLORD



***SPOILERS FROM HERE ON***

Synopsis : Walter White was a aging High School Chemistry teacher who worked two jobs to support his family and his son who has Rickett's Disease. Walter has a genius level intelligence but has made unlucky decisions in the past, resulting in a repressed and unhappy life. Early in the plot, Walter learns that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer and is given only a short time to live. Concern about the welfare of his family after he is gone, Walter begins to use his Chemistry Genius to create Methamphetamine, or Meth for short. Walter struggles to keep this a secret from his family, friends, and his DEA agent brother-in-law, Hank. As the story continues, Walter's cancer goes into remission and realizes that his plan to make a fortune selling meth and then to die with his secret has now fallen through. Rather than run and quit while he was ahead, Walter decides to start his own drug empire and is willing to do anything to become the best. Walter's chemical knowledge and his ability to make a highly superior product than anything on the streets attracts the gaze of some of the biggest players in the meth game. Walter wants to have the ultimate Drug Empire and finally have is call to greatness. But is he truly a bad guy? does protecting and providing for his family justify the people he kills, lives he ruins, and laws he breaks?

*** SPOILERS END ***

For those of you who have seen Breaking Bad, is Walter really a villain? What is it about Walter that we love so much? Walter is an average guy who Lies, Cheats, Murders, Steals, and deals drugs; yet people can't seem to get enough of him. He claims he does it for his family, but he also does it for personal gain and glory. In modern society many forms of media have villains or "bad people" as the main "Hero" of the story. Why is that? Please comment and tell me why you like WALTER specifically.

Is it because hes willing to do anything to protect his family?
Is it because of something he does?
Maybe because he takes risks where a lot of us are afraid to?
Or perhaps you just want to see how far he can go before he gets whats coming to him?

Please comment or talk to me in person. I need to know what people like so i can learn from it.

Jarek Spears

Dastardly, Nefarious, Villains Part 1

Hello all, My name's Jarek. Most of you may not know of me, but have at least seen me lumbering around campus, usually making a racket.  So, for a quick intro: I am 23 years old, from Huntington, and am currently living in Baker 312 with Curtis Russell. So, feel free to stop on by and chat me up whenever. I am currently double majoring in Animation/Graphic Design.

Anywho, my personal goal is to write, draw, and publish my own Graphic Novel/Web Comic. I have always been inspired and awestruck at Comic Books, Manga, and Graphic Novels ever since my childhood. Not just written and printed media, but, televised and animated shows and movies as well. The ability to make small segments that one by one piece together to create a great tapestry of characters, events, and ideas that keep the audience enthralled and hanging on to every single installment. I often find that these episodic and chaptered forms of media are better suited to me because they allow the time to deliver everything that I want to get across. BUT.....

Recently I stumbled across a huge problem with my story. The bad guys. I find it difficult to create not only believable but, likeable villains and bad guys. How can I create a character that needs to have traits, morals, characteristics, and mannerisms that are so contrary to what most of us are raised to believe. So, what are villains? Are they different from antagonists? Why do we like them so much? Most of all how does one make them likeable and memorable?  after some discussion with fellow classmates, we couldn't accurately determine why, or more that there were many different reasons why they were liked. So, I am going to use this blog as a way to perform a study and as an aid to help me in my writing.

A good metaphor I use in this situation is : The Greater the Darkness the Brighter the Light can Shine.

please, feedback and comments are encouraged and welcomed.

I will be posting more installments to this topic as well as my standard posts.